Daegu Theatre Troupe to stage original work

Daegu Theatre Troupe will stage “Glitch,” a play by one of its members this weekend.

Written and directed by Cara Markewicz, the play explores the relationship between two siblings -- Chloe and Richard.

Chloes's obsessive compulsive disorder affects her relationship with her younger brother, who finds himself pressed into a protective role. This indirectly affects the relationships he has with others, too.

“Because Richard has taken on a ‘guardian’ type role for his sister, any relationship he has comes second to that, and therefore does not allow for much freedom outside of his life with her,” Markewicz explained.

“It is almost as if he is caught in a love triangle between his girlfriend, who he begins to fall in love with, and his sister, with whom he shares a different, special kind of love.”

“I wanted to touch on the idea that the way in which we handle our own relationships with our loved ones -- how we choose to let people in and let them govern the way we do things -- can have a positive or negative effect on the decisions we make and ultimately on our lives.

“I love the notion that when it comes to the crunch, we, ourselves, are responsible for the choices we make and the paths we choose in life. However, at the same time I pose the question: what would we be without the relationships we have with those we love?”

The characters are cast as adults in their late 20s or early 30s, but Markewicz said she was really aiming for a contemporary “slice-of-life” effect, and that their age was not really important to the story she wanted to tell.

“I feel as though age could be a fun element to play with if I had to ever do the show again,” she said. “To explore how the age of the characters would affect their relationship.”

Daegu Theatre Troupe has staged original plays before, including “Baggage Claim,” a full length play based loosely on anonymously submitted confessions from expats.

Markewicz said the local expat community provided a unique opportunity for her.

“I felt I would never really get the opportunity and support to put on an entirely original work in such a ‘safe’ environment again,” she said. “‘Sleep when you’re dead’ is another thought that sprang to mind when the opportunity arose.”

The show will be held at 8 p.m. on June 21 and 22 at the Yesul Guekchan Theatre in Dongin-dong.

Tickets are 10,000 won and can be reserved via daegutheatretickets@gmail.com. Payment will be taken on the door.